A Connecticut woman became the highest-earning contestant in “Wheel of Fortune” history on Tuesday, securing more than $1 million in winnings during the game show’s bonus round.
Christina Derevjanik of Stamford, a marketing manager, collected a total of $1,035,155 in cash and prizes, the New York Post reported.
The total included $35,155 in earnings and trips to Montana and Japan, along with a $1 million bonus envelope revealed at the end of the show.
Derevjanik advanced to the final puzzle after claiming the “One Million Dollars” wedge earlier in the game. She selected the “Living Things” category and solved the phrase “PACK OF COYOTES,” which unveiled the top prize.
“You won a million dollars,” host Ryan Seacrest announced as confetti fell on the set. Derevjanik shouted and jumped in celebration, saying, “I have no words!”
She hugged longtime co-host Vanna White, who told her, “I’m so happy for you.” Seacrest added, “I’m in tears.”
On stage after her win, Derevjanik said the money would help her pay off debts.
“I can pay off my student loans,” she told the hosts.
Asked by Seacrest what she would say to her boss, who was present in the audience, she joked that she would discuss it “once we get back to the office.”
Derevjanik later described the moment in an interview posted to the show’s Facebook page.
“I just completely went into another world,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God! I can’t even believe that I can now pay things off [and] put stresses aside.’ This is amazing, I’m so happy.”
She added that she plans to buy a home with part of her winnings and looks forward to the international and domestic trips she earned during play.
Derevjanik’s victory marked the first $1 million-plus prize awarded since Seacrest took over as host in September 2024, following Pat Sajak’s retirement earlier that year. She became only the fifth contestant in the show’s history to surpass the million-dollar mark since the wedge was introduced in 2008.
Previous million-dollar winners include Michelle Loewenstein in 2008 ($1.026 million), Autumn Erhard in 2013 ($1.030 million), Sarah Manchester in 2014 ($1.017 million), and Melissa Joan Hart on “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” in 2021.
According to a disclaimer from earlier broadcasts, winners of the $1 million prize may opt to receive it in $50,000 installments over 20 years or as a lump sum of $660,000.
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